A tanker vessel, ‘MT Ninemiya’, carrying 100,000 tonnes of crude oil from Saudi Arabia has set sail for Chattogram to help ease the country’s ongoing fuel crisis.
The vessel departed from Yanbu Port at 6 am Bangladesh time on Tuesday.
The information was confirmed by Engineer Sharif Hasnat, Managing Director of Eastern Refinery Limited. He said, the tanker is expected to arrive in Bangladesh in the first week of May, several more shipments will follow in phases.
Uncertainty in crude imports emerged due to restrictions on navigation through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz amid Middle East tensions. As a result, around 200,000 tonnes of crude shipments were delayed this month involving chartered vessels of Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC).
Among them, a vessel named ‘Nordic Pollux’ has been stranded since March 5 at Ras Tanura Port with 100,000 tonnes of crude oil onboard. Another planned shipment via the tanker ‘Omera Galaxy’ from Jebel Dhanna Port was cancelled due to security concerns in the conflict zone, creating a crude shortage at Eastern Refinery Limited.
Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) took alternative measures to import crude oil. Under this initiative, crude supplied via pipeline from Ras Tanura was loaded onto ‘MT Ninemiya’ for shipment.
According to BPC data, Bangladesh requires approximately 72 lakh tonnes of fuel annually, of which 92 percent is imported, while the remaining 8 percent is sourced locally. Of the imported crude, about 15 lakh tonnes are refined by Eastern Refinery Limited.
During the 2024–25 fiscal year, total fuel sales in the country stood at 6,835,341 tonnes. Of this, 63.41 percent was used in the transport sector, 15.41 percent in agriculture, 5.96 percent in industry, 11.67 percent in power generation, 0.96 percent in households, and 2.59 percent in other sectors.
Diesel accounted for the largest share, with 4,350,075 tonnes sold, representing 63.64 percent of total consumption. Other fuels such as furnace oil, petrol, octane, kerosene, and jet fuel were also used in significant quantities. These fuels are distributed through 27 depots across the country.
Bangladesh imports crude oil from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates under government-to-government (G2G) agreements. The transportation of imported crude is handled by Bangladesh Shipping Corporation, which charters vessels from foreign companies.
The Strait of Hormuz, a vital global trade route, connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea and is widely regarded as a lifeline of the global economy.
According to global vessel tracking data, ‘MT Ninemiya’ departed from Zhoushan Port on April 8 for Yanbu and arrived there on April 19. The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker then loaded crude and began its journey toward Bangladesh.
Despite ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East affecting fuel supply chains, authorities are working to maintain stability through alternative sourcing. The arrival of this shipment in early May is expected to provide temporary relief to the country’s fuel supply situation.
